Honorary graduates

Since 1966, the University of Surrey has bestowed honorary degrees on notable individuals who have made a significant contribution within their field and to society.

Doctor of the University

22 October 1966

  • Sir John Adams CMG FRS
  • Austen Harry Albu
  • Sir Leon Bagrit
  • Sir Alec Issigonis CBE
  • The Rt Hon the Earl of Munster KBE
  • Dame Sybil Thorndike DBE

6 January 1968

  • Julian Bream OBE
  • Professor Joseph Cathala Officier Legion d'Honneur
  • Sidney Frank Rich OBE
  • Dr Ralph Winton West CBE (Posthumous)

2 December 1968

  • Professor Carl Hirsh
  • Sir William Houghton
  • Dr Francis Edgar Jones MBE FRS
  • Rt Hon the Lord Nugent of Guildford
  • Lady Ruth Nugent
  • Professor Sir Alfred Grenville Pugsley OBE FRS   

3 December 1969

  • Sir Harold Montague Finniston FRS
  • Professor Sir Michael James Lighthill FRS
  • Dr Arthur Douglas Merriman GC OBE
  • Dr Edward John Victor Pasmore CBE
  • Dr Beatrice Shilling OBE

5 December 1970

  • Professor Etienne Paul Grandjean
  • Professor Sir George Porter FRS
  • The Rt Rev George Edmund Reindorp
  • Sir Ernest George Woodroofe

4 December 1971

  • Professor Stephane du Chateau
  • Sir Edward Fennessy CBE
  • Sir Laurens Jan van der Post CBE

1 December 1972

  • Professor Dennis Gabor CBE FRS
  • Philip Victor Marchant
  • Dr Charles Garrett Williams

1 December 1973

  • Yehudi Menuhin
  • Dr Rendel Sebastian Pease

30 December 1974

  • Professor Sir Hermann Bondi KCB FRS
  • Philip Sydney Henman
  • John William Penycate

27 August 1975

  • Sir Alfred Charles Bernard Lovell OBE FRS
  • Sir Frederick Lincoln Ralphs
  • Lady Jackson DBE (Barbara Ward)

29 November 1975

  • Sir Charles Forte
  • The Rt Hon Lord Gardiner of Kittisford
  • Dr Douglas Malcolm Aufrere Leggett
  • Sir Ronald Wallace Wates
  • The Rt Hon Viscount Watkinson of Woking
  • LtCol Herbert James Wells CBE MC

4 December 1976

  • Sir Kenneth George Corfield
  • Professor ThoroldDickinson CBE
  • Dr Joseph Needham FRS

26 January 1977

  • The Rt Hon Lord Robens of Woldingham

3 December 1977

  • Sir Frederick Charles Frank FRS
  • Elisabeth Frink CBE
  • Sir Claus Adolf Moser Comdr de l'Ordre Nat Du Merite (Fr)

1 December 1978

  • Professor Ralf Gustav Dahrendorf
  • Sir Ralph Freeman CBE
  • Professor William Valentine Mayneord CBE FRS

30 November 1979

  • Sir Henry Frederick Ross Catherwood
  • Professor Otto Gustaf Edholm
  • Sir George Robert Edwards OM CBE FRS
  • Professor Reginald Victor Jones CB CBE FRS
  • Sir Shridath Surendranath Ramphal CMG

28 November 1980

  • Dr Duncan Sheppey Davies
  • Dr Eric Duckworth
  • Vernon Handley
  • Sir Francis Avery Jones CBE

4 December 1981

  • Dr Jack Birks CBE
  • Sir Ernest Thomas Harrison OBE
  • Dr Richard Hoggart

3 December 1982

  • John Eveleigh Bolton CBE DSC
  • Professor Sir David Gwynne Evans CBE FRS
  • John Royden Maddox
  • Sir David Alexander Orr MC

2 December 1983

  • Sir Arnold Stanley Vincent Burgen FRS
  • Viscount Etienne Davignon
  • Sir Ieuan Maddock CB OBE FRS FREng
  • Sir Georg Solti KBE

7 December 1984

  • Professor Rosalinde Hurley
  • Robert Malpas CBE FREng
  • Thomas Irvine Smith OBE
  • Sir John Vane FRS

6 December 1985

  • Dr ir Hendrikus Ludovicus Beckers
  • Dennis Joseph Enright
  • Sir John Harvey-Jones MBE
  • Samuel Curtis Johnson

12 December 1986

  • Anthony Alfred Caro KB
  • Dr Ronald Frederick Coleman
  • Dr Desmond George King-Hele
  • Professor Sir William Macdonald Paton CBE FRS

11 December 1987

  • Bernard Albert Eastwell OBE
  • Dr Kevin William Keohane CBE
  • Sir John Emms Read
  • Henri Charles Vidal

9 December 1988

  • Professor Ke Jun (Tsun Ko)
  • Sir Richard Anthony Meyjes
  • Brian Frederick Street
  • Sir Francis Leonard Tombs

8 December 1989

  • Sir Geoffrey Allen FRS
  • The Rt Hon Lord Cockfield of Dover
  • Sir Charles Hugh Reece

6 July 1990

  • The Rt Hon Lord Wolfson of Marylebone

20 July 1990

  • John Stuart Bevan
  • The Rev Dr Donald English

7 December 1990

  • Sir Walter Bodmer FRS
  • Baroness Cumberlege of Newick CBE
  • Sir Denis Rooke CBE FRS FREng
  • Professor Jon Stallworthy

19 July 1991

  • Professor Paul Joseph Black OBE
  • Dr Gerhard Weiler

29 November 1991

  • Professor George Alfred Hugh Elton CB
  • Sir Charles Barnard Groves CBE
  • Dr Carole Jordan FRS
  • The Lord Rayner of Crowborough
  • The Rt Rev & Rt Hon the Lord Runcie of Cuddesdon 
  • Leonard John Weaver CBE

17 July 1992

  • Academician Igor Semyonovich Kon

24 July 1992

  • The Very Rev Desmond Anthony Beirne

31 July 1992

  • Richard John William Alston
  • Professor Robert Anthony Bernard Leaper CBE

4 December 1992

  • Professor Sushantha Kumar Bhattacharyya
  • His Eminence Cardinal (George) Basil Hume
  • Leonard John Kail
  • Professor Claude Levy-Leboyer
  • Professor Howard Joseph Newby
  • Professor Alexander Michael Ross
  • Professor William Duncan Paterson Stewart

30 July 1993

  • Professor David Burman Edgar
  • Professor Alexander Shurbanov

3 December 1993

  • Elizabeth Esteve-Coll
  • Zena Oxlade CBE
  • Professor Kenneth Packer FRS
  • Sir Austin William Pearce CBE
  • Professor Roger Penrose FRS
  • Dr Heinz Riesenhuber

8 July 1994

  • Dr Peter Brinson
  • Geoffrey Lomer CBE FREng
  • Chikahisa Nagai
  • Professor Yasuharu Suematsu

22 July 1994

  • Professor Peter Clifford McIntosh

29 July 1994

  • Professor Henry Chadwick

9 December 1994

  • Peter Bonfield CBE FREng
  • Bryan Hildrew CBE FREng
  • Dr Zenon Jagodzinski   
  • Professor Anthony Kelly CBE FREng FRS
  • Dr Alan Rudge OBE FREng FRS
  • Charles Sandbank FREng

27 July 1995

  • Baroness Perry of Southwark

1 December 1995

  • The Rt Rev Michael Adie CBE
  • Dr Cham Tao Soon
  • Professor Rita R Colwell
  • Baroness Caroline Cox of Queensbury
  • Sir Diarmuid Downs CBE, FRS

1 July 1996

  • Judith Olivia Dench, OBE

19 July 1996

  • The Rt Hon Baron Nolan of Brasted

25 July 1996

  • Monica Mason

20 December 1996

  • Professor Sir David Davies, CBE, FREng, FRS
  • Professor Patrick Boulter, FRCSE, FRCS

12 June 1997

  • Professor Ernst-Ulrich Schlünder

13 June 1997

  • Sir Rocco Forte

30 June 1997

  • David Terence Miller
  • Nicholas Andrew Serota

23 July 1997

  • Rt Rev John Jukes
  • Trevor McDonald OBE

24 July 1997

  • Marilyn Speers Butler
  • Iona Margaret Balfour Opie

5 December 1997

  • Dame Evelyn Elizabeth Ann Glennie

12 December 1997

  • Mr Ivor Forbes Guest
  • Mr Nabil Mohammed Shaban
  • Sir John Meurig Thomas, ScD, FRS

4 December 1998

  • Dr Paul Bélanger
  • Mr Peter Kenneth Blair OBE FREng
  • Dr Sam Ramsamy

17June 1999

  • Siobhan Davies MBE

18 June 1999

  • General Sir Rupert Smith KCB DSO OBE QGM
  • Professor Akito Arima

3 December 1999

  • Mary Patricia McAleese
  • Professor Stephen Campbell Holt
  • Sir Richard Sykes DSc FRS
  • Dr John Michael Taylor OBE FREng

3 July 2000

  • Patrick Caulfield

21 July 2000

  • Michael David Wheeler

14 July 2000

  • Tanni Grey-Thompson, OBE

1 December 2000

  • Ron Dennis

15 June 2001

  • Sir Eric Ash, CBE. FREng, FRS

2 July 2001

  • Professor Anthony Cragg
  • Jocelyn Herbert

27 July 2001

  • Dr Michael Marland, CBE

30 November 2001

  • Sir John Parker FREng FRINA FIMarE
  • Dr Andrew G Rickman, OBE

25 July 2002

  • Professor John Sutherland

26 July 2002

  • Brian William Alderson

13 June 2002

  • Dr Robert Hawley CBE
  • Dr Alan Hayes, CBE

6 December 2002

  • Peter Saraga
  • H.E. Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor, STL, PhL
  • Penelope Keith OBE

19 June 2003

  • The Hon Judge David Edward, CMG, QC, FRSE

20 June 2003

  • Professor Michael Baker, TD, FRSE
  • Mary Baker, MBE
  • Professor Otto Pick, CMG

30 June 2003

  • Lord Puttnam of Queensgate, CBE

16 July 2003

  • Gerald O’Collins SJ

24 July 2003

  • Philip Pullman

25 July 2003

  • Steven Pinker

2 April 2004

  • Sir David Martin Brown,  FREng
  • Professor Roger Howard Clarke
  • Lennart Meri
  • Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan

17 June 2004

  • Sir Daniel Norton Idris Pearce, CBE, TD, DL
  • Derek John Thomas, CBE, DL                      

28 June 2004

  • Terry Gilliam

2 March 2005

  • Bhikhu Chhotalal Parekh

8 April 2005

  • Dr Ernest Littauer
  • Professor David Wood
  • Professor Michael Gibbons MBE

17 June 2005

  • Sir Harold Kroto
  • Alec James Stewart OBE

16 June 2006

  • Professor Jerrold Marsden
  • Professor Patrick Dowling CBE
  • Mrs Janet Gaymer CBE

30 March 2007

  • Mrs Claire Rayner, OBE       
  • Sir David Varney

21 June 2007

  • Mr Thomas Joseph Black
  • Mr Peter Molyneux, OBE     

22 June 2007

  • The Rt Hon the Lord Browne of Madingley
  • Mr James Douglas Moir Robertson, CBE
  • Lord Sainsbury of Turville

4 April 2008

  • Mr Neil James Kipling
  • drs Jan Derwig

17 June 2008

  • Professor Richard F Casten

18 June 2008

  • Professor Jean Hooper, CBE

19 June 2008

  • Mr Arie de Geus
  • Sir Ray Tindle
  • Sir George Martin, CBE

20 June 2008

  • Mr James (Jimmy) Patrick Page, OBE

2 April 2009

  • Professor Peter Bunyan
  • Mr Martin Earwicker

3 April 2009

  • Mr Jonny Wilkinson, OBE

24 June 2009

  • Mr Noel Fitzpatrick
  • Miss Vicki Aggar

26 June 2009

  • Mr Elon Musk

15 April 2010

  • Dame Linda Dobbs, DBE
  • Sir Adrian White, CBE

15 July 2010

  • Mr Peter Hutley, OBE
  • Mr David Sheard

16 July 2010

  • His Honour John Bull, QC DL

12 April 2011

  • Professor Andrew Hamilton

12 July 2011

  • Lady Diana Kerr

13 July 2011

  • Mr Roger Black, MBE

14 July 2011

  • Sir Michael Aaronson, CBE
  • Mr John Williams

15 July 2011

  • Professor John Sexton
  • Dr Graham Spittle, CBE

19 April 2012

  • The Right Reverend Dr Jonathan Frost

20 April 2012

  • Professor Alf Adams
  • Professor Hussain Al-Shahristani
  • Mr Michael Glover, OBE
  • Mr Robert Lainé

17 July 2012

  • The Very Reverend Victor Stock

20 July 2012

  • Ms Sandi Toksvig, OBE
  • Professor Lord Robert Winston

10 April 2013

  • Professor Walter Stahel

11 April 2013

  • Professor Gordon Murray, CBE

12 April 2013

  • Mr Christopher Rodrigues, CBE

16 July 2013

  • Mr Paul Sheffield , CBE

17 July 2013

  • Mr Colin Stokes
  • Professor Adnei Melges de Andrade

18 July 2013

  • Mr Michael Buerk

19 July 2013

  • Mr Max Taylor

20 July 2013

  • Dr Richard Budgett, OBE

9 April 2014

  • Sir Richard Stilgoe, OBE DL
  • Nikolai Dimidenko

15 July 2014

  • Professor Dame Sally Davies
  • Dr Ann Prentice, OBE

16 July 2014

  • Mr Geoff Loane

18 July 2014

  • Mr Neil Chapman
  • Sir William Wells

16 April 2015

  • The Rt Revd Christopher Hill
  • Ms Dame Judith Hackitt, DBE

17 April 2015

  • Mr Dudley Eustace

14 July 2015

  • Colonel Philippe Rossiter
  • Mr Thomas Chambers

15 July 2015

  • Professor Peter Flewitt

16 July 2015

  • His Excellency Mr Ahmet Üzümc

13 July 2016

  • Professor Sir Christopher Snowden
  • Dr John Forrest, CBE

15 July 2016

  • Professor John Picket, CBE

6 April 2017

  • Mr Nick Moberly

7 April 2017

  • Mr Liam Heath, MBE

13 July 2017

  • Professor Sir Jim McDonald
  • Mr Kevin McGrath OBE, DL

14 July 2017

  • The Rt. Hon. the Lord Willetts

12 April 2018

  • Professor Dame Anne Glover
  • Ms Perdita Hunt OBE

13 April 2018

  • Mr Paul Polman KBE

19 July 2018

  • Mr Brian Allison

20 July 2018

  • Mr Ashley Herman
  • Dr Jamie Shea

10 April 2019

  • Professor Christopher Lowe, OBE

15 July 2019

  • Dr Sylvia Lancaster, OBE

17 July 2019

  • Ms Odaline de la Martinez
  • Professor Dame Sue Hill, OBE

18 July 2019

  • Rt Hon Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone, DL
  • Professor Paul Wellings, CBE

12 July 2021

  • Keith Robson

13 July 2021

  • Dr Ya-Qin Zhang
  • Professor Sarah Cleaveland
  • Professor Dame Jane Dacre

14 July 2021

  • Professor Steven Myint
  • The Rt Revd and the Rt Hon The Lord (Rowan) Williams of Oystermouth

16 July 2021

  • Alberto Verme

20 July 2021

  • Professor Peter Sadler

21 July 2021

  • Professor Sir Steve Smith

22 July 2021

  • Youngsuk Chi

23 July 2021

  • Lady Brenda Hale

Fellowship of the University

22 July 2021

  • Gavin Stephens